Breakthrough
by LizzieKarsen
Summary: Tony and Ziva have a little bit of a breakthrough about their relationship; one-shot but might turn into a few more chapters. Please review:)


_Disclaimer – as usual, I own nothing _

_Please read and review, I'm considering turning this into a multiple chapter story but I won't unless I get some positive feedback! Feed my need for constructive criticism!_

_P.S. – I left some things about the reason for the Tiva argument purposely vague so I wouldn't write myself into a corner in case I decide to expand this. Also because I'm lazy. Mostly because I'm lazy _

"Ziva!" Tony raised his voice, running after her. She ignored him and continued walking quickly toward the elevator, her body stiff. "Ziva, just stop!" he said as he slid into the elevator next to her. To his annoyance, another agent followed in behind him. The doors closed, and they began moving down. The silence was deafening, and the glances Tony kept sending toward a stone faced Ziva were clearly making their fellow passenger uncomfortable. Four floors went by and the elevator slowed to a stop. With a tiny sigh of relief, the other agent exited through the opening doors. Tony punched the close button before another approaching person could enter, and flipped the switch to turn it off.

"Ziva" he said, turning to face her.

"What!" she snapped, finally turning her head to look at him.

"Just listen to me for a minute" Tony answered, his voice soft.

"Fine" she replied, crossing her arms. "Talk."

"I had to go in there" he said.

"You had to go in there" she repeated, her voice dangerously emotionless.

"Yes" he said simply.

"Is that it?" Ziva asked, still icily calm, "You just had to go in, you could not help yourself?"

"I wasn't sure if the kid was in there or not, and I had to make sure he was out" Tony answered.

"So you decided to enter a warehouse you _knew _was rigged with explosives" she said, her calm slipping a little to show some anger.

"You would have done the same thing!" Tony replied, his voice rising with a little anger of his own. "You have done the same thing; I can't count the number of times you've walked voluntarily into situations just as dangerous!"

"You went in without backup!" she shouted, any traces of calm completely gone now. "You just ran in there without me! Without McGee, without Gibbs!"

"I didn't have a choice!" he shouted back. "I couldn't know that the kid was already safe, I didn't have any time to waste!"

"You could have been killed!" Ziva said, still shouting. "You nearly were" she said, quieter this time, her eyes flicking quickly to the gash on his head he'd gotten from the blast, then moving down to the floor.

"Ziva," Tony said gently, "Ziva look at me." She glanced up at him, then back down at the floor. "Ziva" he repeated, lifting her chin with his finger, "look at me." She did, raising her eyes to meet his. His softened when he saw their expression. "I'm fine," he said, "I'll I've got is a sore head and a bruised ego."

"You cannot do things like that" she said, her eyes still on his. "That was dangerous, and foolish, and you did it alone."

"I can't promise you I won't," he replied, "you know I can't."

She sighed in response. "At least promise me you'll be careful" she said.

"How long have we been partners?" Tony asked.

Ziva folded her arms and looked at him. "Many years now."

"I'm not a kid eager to prove himself" he said. "We've worked together long enough for you to know that I have a vested interest in not getting myself blown to bits."

Ziva's only response was an unladylike sound along the lines of a snort. She flicked the switch on the wall, and the elevator began moving again. Tony looked at her, the expression on his face unreadable. He leaned over and flicked the switch back, and the elevator came back to a stop. He held up his hand to stop her as she started to speak.

"You know what?" he said. "I'm tired of this."

"What?" Ziva asked.

"I'm tired" he said slowly, drawing it out as if to make sure she could understand him.

"Of what are you tired?" she asked, confusion clear on her face.

"This" he said, gesturing back and forth between them. "You haven't been just a partner to me for years, and I know I'm not just a partner to you."

"Tony, this isn't – " Ziva started to say before he interrupted her.

"What, Ziva? What isn't this?" he said loudly, "Because I can tell you what it is – it's a never ending cycle of frustration that's been making it increasingly difficult for me to see anything at the end of the day but you and your irritating, stubborn self walking away from me."

"I," she stuttered, "what?"

"What?" Tony repeated. "What? You know what. You've known what, we've both known what for longer than I can remember and still what remains unaddressed. Well, I'm addressing it now."

"Tony, you are not making any sense" Ziva said, flustered.

"Oh I'm not making any sense?" he repeated, getting louder. "What doesn't make sense is this dance we've been dancing around each other. The music's over Ziva, and right now we have to stop and actually face each other."

"Spit it out Tony," she replied, her voice raised, "in English please."

"I've wanted more from you than just friendship for years now," Tony said quickly, watching her closely to see her reaction, "and I know you well enough to know that you feel the same way. I'm tired of waiting for this to be right, I'm tired of waiting for a sign that we're ready for this. We're right. We're ready. Now we're just stuck, and I refuse to stay like this forever."

Ziva stared at him without replying.

"You look at me" Tony said, "you look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want this. You tell me you don't want us."

"I" she stopped and cleared her throat, looking away as she did. "I don't know."

"Ziva" Tony said quietly, "I've seen you look face down death often enough to know you're brave enough for this. Please," he pleaded with her, "please don't run away. Not from me."

"Tony," she whispered, and raised her eyes to meet his. What she saw in them stopped her, her throat suddenly too tight to speak. She tried to tell him with her eyes, to say what she couldn't say out loud.

Tony's breath caught as he read the expression in her eyes. He lifted his hand to her cheek, watched her close her eyes and heard her intake of breath. Suddenly, without either of them realizing how it had happened, his lips were on hers. He kissed her gently, slowly, savoring the taste of her. He was lost in her when he came to the realization that she was kissing him back. His arms moved to hold her close to him, and she folded into them just as easily as he'd known she would. When they broke apart his arms were still there, keeping her near him.

"If you are brave enough," Ziva said, "then I am brave enough." And she pulled him in for another kiss.

_Please review! If you guys like it and want more of this story, please let me know, otherwise this is it!_

_Thanks for reading!_


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